Friday, March 22, 2013

Most pay TV subscribers in North
America have no concrete cord-cutting plans, at least for now,
according to a February 2013 study by video discovery platform DigitalSmiths.

eMarketer.com reports just 4% planned to cut cable or
satellite service in 2013, and a relatively minor 1.3% planned to abandon pay
TV altogether for an online app or rental service. That being said, a sizeable
28.1% said their plans were still up in the air.

Customers reported being more satisfied than not with their
TV packages. According to the study, over half were “satisfied” and about
one-quarter were “very satisfied.” Still, a solid one out of five respondents
reported that they were “unsatisfied.” The biggest cause of dissatisfaction:
rising fees.

But the study also called attention to the extent that TV
providers are contending more and more with the additional screens that are
popping up in households. In Q1 2013, 33.4% of respondents said their household
owned a tablet, up from 28.6% in the previous quarter.

Can cable and satellite providers hold customers’ interest
on these new devices and offer a service that makes pay TV subscriptions more
valuable? The jury is still out.

According to eMarketer.com, Digitalsmiths found that 26% of
respondents with tablets had downloaded their service provider’s tablet app.
But even of those who had downloaded the app, only 18% said they’d used it,
suggesting that consumers still have not integrated it into their routines.
However, some who have begun using the app are clearly addicted; 6% of
respondents said they used their pay TV app every day.

UPDATE 3/22/2013 10AM: Julius Genachowski, the Federal Communications Commission
chairman since June 2009, who set out ambitious plans to expand broadband Internet
service throughout the country and to free up additional airwaves for sale to
mobile phone companies, said Friday that he would leave the commission “in the
coming weeks.”

No successor has been named, according to nytimes.com. Genachowski’s departure, on
the heels of the resignation earlier this week of Robert M. McDowell, a
Republican commissioner since 2006, will leave the agency with only three of
five board spots filled, although Democrats will retain a 2-to-1 majority.

READ CHAIRMAN GENACHOWSKI'S REMARKS: Scroll below

The decision brings to an end a tumultuous term that
has seen bruising battles over the openness of the Internet to the reform of
the nation's major telephone subsidy.

The decision to resign has been expected for months. The
Democrat’s decision would come in the same week that senior GOP Commissioner
Robert McDowell announced his plan to leave.

Nominations for critical agencies like the FCC are often
paired, making it easier to get the confirmation through the Senate if there is
one Republican and one Democrat.

Genachowski took over as chairman in 2009 and pushed the
agency to look at telecommunications differently with broadband supplanting old
technologies like broadcasting and telephone service.

He managed to win approval for the first major overhaul of
the Universal Service Fund, pushed through controversial network neutrality
rules and popularized the idea of an incentive auction that would move some TV
broadcasters off their channels and open them up for advanced, high-speed
services.

Genachowski also oversaw a series of telecommunications
deals that helped reshape the landscape. The Comcast/NBC-Universal deal was
approved by the FCC on his watch, as was a deal that allowed Verizon to
purchase the wireless licenses held by a consortium of cable companies. Most
recently, the commission approved the deal that allowed T-Mobile to buy a
controlling stake in MetroPCS.

He also pushed the commission to kill AT&T's attempt to
buy T-Mobile despite GOP objections.

National Religious Broadcasters President & CEO Dr.
Frank Wright announced that he will be stepping down from his position in
October, completing a decade of service for the Christian association,
according to the Christian Post.

"I have prayerfully concluded that my season of service
at NRB is drawing to a close," Dr. Wright said in a letter to NRB Board
Chairman Richard P. Bott II. "Accordingly, I do hereby resign my position
as president and CEO of NRB, effective October 4, 2013."

Bott accepted the resignation and expressed appreciation for
Dr. Wright's "dedicated service" during his 10 years as president.
Wright had been unanimously selected by the NRB Executive Committee back at the
NRB 2003 Convention & Exposition.

"We especially appreciate the top-notch team of
dedicated professionals he has assembled to do the work of NRB, serve our
membership and protect religious free speech on Capitol Hill," Bott said.

The NRB chairman revealed that a search committee comprised
of NRB Board of Directors and Executive Committee members will be established
to discuss candidates to succeed Wright.

The Arbitron ratings for the Chicago radio market for the
February period -- which covers the dates of 01/31/13-02/27/13 -- were released
on Monday. Chicago Radio & Media again provides a terrific study of the
Chicago ratings for the demographics of Persons 6+ (All Ages), Persons 25-54,
and Persons 18-34, along with quick looks at some key stories.

Looking now at the highly-desired demographic (by
advertisers, and therefore station owners) of Persons ages 25-54...

In the overall numbers (Monday-Sunday 6:00am-Midnight),
WTMX-FM remains in first place, adding 1.0 share to the 1.6 share increase from
January to a massive 7.2 share in this important demographic -- the station's
highest share since 2011. Second place goes to WVAZ-FM, with a 5.6 share.
Jumping up to #3 from #6 is WKSC-FM, now with a 4.4 share. WGCI-FM jumps even
more, from #10 to #4, increasing its share by .5 to 4.1. Tied for fifth place
are sister-stations WBBM-AM and WBBM-FM, each with 4.0 share. In four weeks
time, WBBM-AM increased by .6 share and WBBM-FM increased by .5 share.

Hit radio stations had their best month since last summer,
with WKSC-FM, WBBM-FM, WGCI-FM, and WTMX-FM each seeing decent increases. The
only hit music station having an off month was WUSN-FM, which slipped .6 share.

Besides WUSN-FM, there are a few other notable decreases for
the February ratings period. WDRV-FM/WWDV-FM had an unusually large 1.0 share
drop here in their target demographic, knocking it out of the Top 10. The
station (or its competition) did nothing unusual or different in the February
period to explain the decrease.

Two Regional Mexican radio stations saw
decreases: WOJO-FM slipped down by .8 share and WLEY-FM fell by .5 share. With
the football season over, both of Chicago's full-time sports stations, WSCR-AM
and WMVP-AM fell by .6 share each.

In the Classic Hits format battle between WLS-FM and
WJMK-FM, K-Hits continues to win in this demo. WJMK-FM/104.3 K-Hits increased its
share by .2 in the February period, now sitting at a 2.9 share, good enough for
a tie at #14. WLS-FM also increased by a .2 share, but only has a 2.2 share now
and sits at a tie for #20. In comparison, for the February 2012 ratings period,
WLS-FM had a 3.9 share and was tied at #9, while WJMK-FM was #21 with a 2.2
share. In 2013, these two stations seem to be on opposite paths for the Persons
25-54 demographic.

Mike Shannon is about to enter his 43rd season in the
Cardinals’ radio booth. He is starting his 56th year working for the team (as a
player, a member of the promotions department and as an announcer). And he
turns 74 in July.

So not surprisingly, writes Dan Caesar at stltoday.com, he is cutting back a bit in his
broadcast schedule this season.

He had been taking off about 15 games in recent seasons, but
that number is set to roughly double this year. Cardinals senior vice president
Dan Farrell, who oversees the team’s broadcast operations, said most — if not
all — absences will be for road games and primarily on three-city trips
beginning with one in mid-April. Shannon is set to miss either part or all of
those long voyages.

A reduced schedule is something common among long-tenured
baseball broadcasters. Jack Buck, Shannon’s partner before Buck died in 2002,
dropped almost all road assignments at age 70. Legendary Los Angeles Dodgers
broadcaster Vin Scully, 85, long ago stopped calling games east of the Rockies.

Thursday was an unusually busy day for sports-talk radio,
with the NCAA Tournament ramping up in full force all day in addition to the
regular heavy load of athletic activities that occur every March. But things
quickly turned from the comparatively trivial jock-jabbering to a scary health
situation at KXFN 1380 AM when afternoon drive-time program co-host Jeff Gordon
passed out while on the air shortly after the show signed on at 3 p.m.

Gordon, who is a sports columnist for stltoday.com, and
partner Brian McKenna were broadcasting from Bruno’s American Grill, when Gordon became ill and fainted.

“It was really frightening,’’ McKenna told Dan Caesar at stltoday.com. “He wasn’t
feeling well all day but he wasn’t vomiting and I don’t think he had a fever.
But he was dehydrated . . . It was such an important day to be on the air, but
I said, ‘Gordo, why don’t you just go home? He said, ‘No no, I feel fine.’ But
toward the end of the first segment he started getting white. He looked at me,
he put his hand up like 'I can’t do this right now.’ He put his head on his
laptop (computer) and the next thing I know he went to his left and he blacked
out. He hit the (floor), he was on his back.’’

A Brentwood firefighter and emergency medical technician was in
the building and got Gordon on his
feet.

Gordon was given some fluids and food, and after sitting up
for about an hour was able to go home.

Early Thursday night, Gordon said he was feeling better.

“It was an after-affect of either the flu or some food
poisoning,’’ he said. “I just suddenly had a blackout there, was able to shake
it off and get home.’’

TV's eyes in the sky have been around for decades and are
often indispensible for covering news scenes.

On the horizon (figuratively, if not literally) are drones
that do the same thing.

One is available now for $400,000, and Mike Cavender,
executive director of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA),
CBS News it -- or something like it -- will probably catch on.

"The ability to put a camera, if you will, high above a
news event or a situation for which you want coverage, at minimal expense, when
you compare it to a live, staffed helicopter, I think that's a potentially
tremendous advantage for a news station," Cavendar told CBS Station KYW.

Vincent Duffy, chairman of the RTDNA, wrote in a blog post
earlier this week that drones are the latest "must-have toys" for a
newsroom, while recognizing that certain ethical issues remain regarding their
use.

Just a little over a week since the Utica-Rome, NY market
was jolted by a deadly shooting rampage, an unprecedented effort by local broadcasters. According to cnyradio.com, Journalists and
radio personalities set competition aside to help raise money for community
organizations that are helping victims of the horrific events of March 13.

Broadcasters from several local stations gathered to
videotape a series of public service announcements, encouraging residents to
donate to a special “Valley Support Fund” which has been established, to help
the aforementioned organizations.

Tiger Woods’ relationship with Lindsey Vonn may not be all
that it seems. Sources tell nypost.com their announcement that they are dating
“was a carefully crafted p.r. move.”

Woods, 37, and Vonn, 28, confirmed Monday on their Facebookpages that they are seeing each other, then asked for privacy because they want
to live, in Woods’ words, “as an ordinary couple.”

He wrote, “Lindsey and I have been friends for some time,
but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating. We
thank you for your support and for respecting our privacy. We want to continue
our relationship, privately, as an ordinary couple and continue to compete as
athletes.”

Their carefully orchestrated announcement was accompanied by
a set of cozy pictures that would slot in perfectly at People magazine.

But a source tells The Post, “Actually it is a match made in
marketing heaven. It immediately makes him more sympathetic, and makes Vonn a
household name as she reaches a crucial point in her skiing career, the 2014 Winter
Olympics. They know the sponsors are watching.”

Ed Schumacher was all the things that you don’t think of in
a radio personality — but he was everything that one expects from a community
leader. The owner of WTUZ 99.9 FM in New
Philadelphia died of cancer Wednesday at age 60.

“Ed was very humble; he preferred to be behind the scenes —
which is strange for someone in show business — and was much more comfortable
letting others take credit for what he did,” Carey Gardner, a former co-worker
at WJER Radio in Dover told the times-reporter.com.

Although those who knew him said unanimously he did his best
to escape the spotlight, Gardner
fondly recalls once when he couldn’t. The Tuscarawas County Chamber of Commerce
honored WTUZ as its 2006 Small Business of the Year.

“He had to be there to accept the award, but he had his
mother and all of his employees there,” he said. “I know he was very proud of
that. It was recognition from his business peers and an affirmation that he’d
made it. He had to be there and accept the applause and the spotlight. I had a
lot of fun just watching him.”

Schumacher also was president and general manager, and the
full-time staff at WTUZ grew from five originally to 19 in 2006. WTUZ also received the prestigious 2009
National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Radio Award for community service.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Interesting is the performance of the Central Florida
Educational Foundation’s non-com Christian music station WPOZ. Z88.3 was off a bit 8.5-7.3, but still good
for a tie at #2 with Cox Media’s Uurban AC WCFB Star 94.5 FM .

WPOC Baltimore and WMZQ Washington country air personality Michael J is recovering
from a hemicolonectomy performed Wednesday.

As he posted on his station website Wednesday:

Could be 1-a ruptured
appendix, 2-could be Crohn's disease or 3- could be cancer.

Obviously, this is the first time in my life, I've ever
hoped for an appendicitis. I'm confused because I haven't experienced the
symptoms that we hear about that come with appendicitis but apparently it's
possible and happens occasionally in men. What I have had is bleeding where I shouldn't be and other
irregularities!

Last night Michael J got good news from his doctor and found
out about the results of my surgery NO CANCER!

I had a congenital birth defect called Meckel's Diverticulum
until yesterday. Along with my appendix, (which Doc said was abnomal and
scarred), this bleeding tissue was romoved. Happy to report there is a little
less 'junk in my trunk tonight'! Thank you so much for you sweet thoughts and
prayers over the past several days. Now I can plan to return as soon as I am
able to get out of this motorized hospital bed on or about April 15th.

Remember, this all started with my colonoscopy. Did you call your Dr. to set up
yours yet?

Best,Mj

He’s expected to remain in the hospital until April April 15
and if all goes well back-on the radio shortly thereafter.

The recent talk that NBC is set to replace Jay Leno as host
of The Tonight Show with Late Night's Jimmy Fallon is heating up, with the
newest reports out yesterday (March 20th) saying the network also plans to move
the show from L.A. to New York, where it began six decades ago before moving
out to California in 1972, 10 years into Johnny Carson's 30-year tenure.

NBC confirmed Wednesday that it's building a new studio for
Fallon in New York, where he hosts Late Night. But it didn't comment on the New York Times
report that the studio may become home to a Fallon-hosted Tonight Show.

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter said yesterday that Fallon
has contacted Leno in an effort to help smooth the potential succession. Leno's
Tonight Show contract expires in September 2014, but The Hollywood Reporter
story says some at NBC are eyeing a Fallon takeover as early as next February,
to take advantage of the promotional platform of the 2014 Winter Olympics in
Sochi, Russia.

In a Fallon cover story for the April issue of GQ, Late
Night executive produce Lorne Michaels seemingly confirmed the transition,
stating, "I'm not allowed to say it -- yet. But I think there's an
inevitability to it. [Fallon's] the closest to Carson that I've seen of this
generation."

A move to New York would return “Tonight” to its roots,
after an absence of more than four decades, according to a story by Bill Carterat nytimes.com.

Beginning in 1954, it was broadcast every evening from
Manhattan, first from the Hudson Theater with Mr. Allen as host, followed by
Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, both of whom worked at 30 Rockefeller. But in 1972,
Mr. Carson, looking for easier access to Hollywood guests, as well as a
different lifestyle, moved the show permanently to Burbank.

Fallon now occupies the studio where Mr. Carson was working
in the 1960s and early 1970s. His “Late Night” show is broadcast at 12:35 a.m.
Eastern time, after Leno on “Tonight.”

A New York “Tonight Show” will join a metropolitan landscape
already filled with late-night comedy programs, including “Late Show With David
Letterman” on CBS and shows featuring Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on Comedy
Central. One lingering question is what NBC will do with its “Late Night”
franchise, which has always been based in New York.

O’Brien hosted that program before Fallon, and it
had been speculated before his ascension to “Tonight” that he might try to keep
working in New York, where he had thrived. But at the time, NBC insisted
“Tonight” had become a Hollywood-centric show and needed to stay in California.

Fallon has quickly impressed NBC’s new management under
Comcast, and his succession has been widely expected for at least a year. The
only question has been when.

NBC Sports Radio announced today that Brian Kenny, MLB
Network and Showtime host, and formerly of ESPN, will host The Brian Kenny Show
in the 9am-12n ET Monday-Friday slot, as the network completes its roster and
rolls out 24/7 sports talk programming on Monday, April 1st.Kenny will go one-on-one with some of the biggest names in sports. Additionally known for his adept skill as a “numbers cruncher,” he will also go beyond the scores and delve into the data, breaking down the analytics of the games.A 25-year national television and radio veteran, Kenny hosts the popular Clubhouse Confidential on MLB Network and covers boxing for Showtime. Kenny formerly hosted The Brian Kenny Show on ESPN Radio. He also anchored SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight, and called play-by-play for ESPN's Wednesday Night Baseball and the World Baseball Classic. Kenny was named "Media Personality of the Year" by SI.com in 2004.

Brian Kenny says, “I'm thrilled to be joining the team at NBC Sports Radio and Dial Global and I am excited to be back on the airwaves.We look forward to building a show that fosters intelligent sports conversation with in-depth analysis. It's going to be a blast."NBC Sports Radio is launching 24/7 talk programming on April 1, 2013:Weekday (Monday-Friday) Lineup6am-9am, ET The Erik Kuselias Show9am-12n, ET The Brian Kenny Show12n-3pm, ET Voices of the Game with Newy Scruggs3pm-7pm, ET Under Center with McNabb & Malone7pm-10pm, ET The Jon Stashower Show10pm-1am, ET Amani & Eytan1am-6am, ET The Dan Schwartzman ShowNBC Sports Radio is a joint venture between NBC Sports Group and Dial Global.To listen live or to find a station, visit www.nbcsportsradio.com.

His final day is next Friday, March 29. Based on his commentary below, it's clear he
couldn't come to agreement with his syndication company Cumulus and the departure
is not voluntary.

According to media writer Rodney Ho at ajc.com, Cumulus was upset
Baisden released information about his pending departure before negotiations
were over, which is why they locked him out of his studios.

Baisden, an author and speaker who loves talking about
relationships during his afternoon show, has been hosting a radio show since
2003.

He was first heard on Atlanta radio on what was then known
as Grown Folks 102.5, which was an interesting amalgam of R&B and talk. He
migrated to Majic in 2009 when Radio One dropped smooth jazz at 107.5.

Baisden leaving creates a potential opening for Frank Ski,
who left V-103 because CBS couldn't provide him a syndicated show. Ski is
currently pitching a syndicated show.

Baisden is one ingredient why R&B station Majic is doing
so well. It's currently ranked No. 2 in listeners in Atlanta, only behind
V-103. In February, it drew a 7.7 share,
its best month ever in its history. A year ago, its share was 5.4.

Hubbard Broadcasting is flipping it’s 820 AM signal licensed
to Fredrick, Maryland to an eclectic music format The
Gamut.

The outlet is dropping its simulcast of Federal News Radio,
which remains on WFED1500 AM and at
federalnewsradio.com. The 820 signal will keep the WWFD call and continue to
carry sports events, including the Capitals, Wizards, and Ravens, plus weekend
paid programming, according to DCRTV.

The Gamut will also be heard on the HD Radio digital FM
subchannels of all-newser WTOP's 103.5 and 107.7 signals.

The Gamut is described as a cross-section of music genres
and features an array of recorded music types that span from pre-World War II
to present day. The sampling of artists includes Boney M, Doris Day, Devo, Mumford
And Sons, Scissor Sister, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash.

"Our hope is that by being on 820 AM listeners will
sample The Gamut and then want to listen on our HD signal at 103.5-3 as
well," says Joel Oxley, who heads Hubbard's DC radio cluster.

Even though it doesn’t look or feel like spring in Central New York, there’s been some “spring cleaning” on
at least one local radio station.

According to cnyradio.com, Classic hits WODZ Oldiez 96.1 has
shuffled its jock lineup.

Keith James jumps from weekends and fill-ins at the
Townsquare Media cluster to weekday morning host for WODZ. That allows programmer Davey Jones to slide
to afternoons, the same air shift held by the programmers of the cluster’s
other FM music stations, WLZW Lite 98.7 and WFRG Big Frog 104.

Jones’ move to afternoons bumps Kevin Quinn to the night
shift. That in turn, takes Alex Cooper
off the weekday lineup, though we hear he’s got plenty of other duties in the
building to keep him busy.

Middayer Chip Douglas remains unaffected by the changes.

In addition to the schedule shuffle, the station has rolled
out a new collection of promos, imaging liners and jingles.

Publix and Trader Joe’s earned the top two spots in the 2013Temkin Experience Ratings, as grocery chains and fast food chains earned 13 of
the top 19 spots.

The Temkins Experience Research asked 10,000 U.S.
consumers to rate their recent interactions with companies across three
dimensions of their experience: functional, accessible, and emotional, using
their responses to rate 246 companies across 19 industries.

Thirty-seven percent of companies received a “good” rating
or better, an increase over 28% of companies in 2011 and 16% in 2010.

Publix and Trader Joe’s have the highest functional ratings,
Ace Hardware has the highest accessible rating, and Publix has the highest
emotional rating. Wireless carriers improved the most and appliances declined
the most since last year. Citibank, TriCare and TD Ameritrade made the biggest
gains while Alamo and Budget lost the most
ground.

"Bad customer experience is an ongoing epidemic in the
TV services sector," states Bruce Temkin , managing partner of Temkin
Group told mediapost.com. "Even the best firm in the industry is rated in
the bottom third of all companies."

Temkin says Bright House Networks and Dish Network were tied
for 166th out of all 246 companies in the ratings across industries -- lower
rated than many companies in the parcel delivery service, grocery and fast
-food industries. The two companies earned "okay" ratings.

At the opposite end of TV distributors, Temkin rates Time
Warner Cable (244th place, tied with Days Inn ) and Charter Communications
(239th place) with the lowest marks.

In a classic "which came first, the chicken or the
egg" scenario: more talk on Twitter and higher TV ratings, or is it
quality TV and more talk on Twitter?

Whatever the case according to Dara Kerr at cnet.com, market research firm Nielsen has
discovered that there is a correlation -- but not necessarily causation --
between Twitter and live TV ratings.

Using data from analytics platform SocialGuide, Nielsen
found that 32 million unique people tweeted about TV in the U.S. in 2012. This
may have led to Twitter being one of the top three variables aligned with TV
ratings. The other two variables are prior-year rating and advertising
spending.

"While prior-year rating accounts for the lion's share
of the variability in TV ratings, Twitter's presence as a top three influencer
tells us that Tweeting about live TV may affect program engagement," CEO
of SocialGuide Andrew Somosi said in a statement. "We expected to see a
correlation between Twitter and TV ratings, but this study quantifies the
strength of that relationship."

The group with the strongest correlation is the 18 to 34 age
group; Nielsen numbers show that an 8.5 percent increase in tweets corresponds
to a 1 percent increase in TV ratings for season premieres. For midseason
episodes, a 4.2 percent increase in tweets corresponds to a 1 percent increase
in ratings. The 35 to 49 age group needed a 14 percent increase in tweets to
get a 1 percent TV rating increase.

Tweeting about live TV may be increasing because people are
using their tablets and smartphones more and more while watching television
shows. According to a report by Forrester last year, 85 percent of U.S. tablet
owners use their device while watching TV.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Robert McDowell
announced during the panel’s open meeting Wednesday that he will resign his
post in the coming weeks, but did not say what his future plans are.

McDowell, a Republican, has been serving a second term on
the commission, having first been appointed in 2006. He was reappointed in
2009.

His resignation was expected, as the Washington Post
reported, and many think it will pave the way for the resignation of FCC
chairman Julius Genachowski, as McDowell’s resignation leaves Ajit Pai as the
only Republican on the commission.

FCC chief counsel also to leave agency: It was a day of turnover at the FCC, with the
agency also announcing Wednesday that chief counsel Sherrese Smith will also be
leaving the agency in the coming weeks. He is the last remaining member of
chairman Genachowski’s original team of legal advisors.

In an e-mailed statement, Genachowski said that it would be
difficult for him to say goodbye to Smith, and credited her with leading the
agency’s work on the issues of bill shock, online posting of files and
broadcast spectrum issues.

Smith has served as the agency’s general counsel since
January 2012. She was once the vice president and general counsel of Washington
Post Digital.

While internet usage is nearly ubiquitous in the US,
mobile phone and mobile internet usage are taking a far greater role in digital
activity among consumers of all ages—and uptake is poised for further growth.

eMarketer estimates that overall, 75.7% of the population
goes online at least monthly, and penetration is even higher among younger
demographic groups.

Among Gen Xers, for example—defined as people born between
1965 and 1980—88.8% were monthly internet users as of December 2012, according
to eMarketer estimates. Gen Xers are also highly connected on the go, with
nearly 95% using mobile phones, and 60.3% of that group using smartphones. In
2012, 38.4 million Gen Xers, or 62.2% of Gen X mobile users, used the mobile
internet at least monthly. That accounts for three in 10 mobile internet users
in the US.

For the first time, a former program director at KSTP-AM
radio Minneapolis-St. Paul is speaking out about
his motorcycle accident and subsequent brain injury.

According to woodbury.kstp.com, three years ago Steve Konrad hit a
mattress on I-94 that had fallen off a vehicle in front of him.

Had he not been wearing a helmet, doctors say he would have
died.

He suffered a traumatic brain injury, was in a coma for
months, and when he woke up had to learn to walk, talk, and eat again.

The Konrad's say brain injuries are misunderstood.

"It's not a physical injury that you can see, its
mental, people say that's nothing, but it is, its really debilitating, "
says Konrad. His wife Melodee says it's been tough, "He's not the same man
that I married, I have to get used to that, he's a different man now with a brain
injury."

Despite his injuries, Konrad says he has a positive attitude
and is recovering better than doctors ever expected.

According to a posting by Shea Bennett at mediabristro.com, it’s where stuff happens. Lots of stuff. Too much to count, in fact. Even when
you break it right down – like, for example, looking at what happens online
each and every minute of the day – the numbers are staggering.

Musical performances by Janis Joplin, Chubby Checker, Simon
& Garfunkel, Van Cliburn and The Ramones, as well as news reports recorded
at the scene of the D-Day invasion and the first broadcast by a president from
outer space, are among the recordings marked for preservation by the Library of
Congress.

According to cbsnews.com, the Library Thursday named 25
audio recordings to be added to its National Recording Registry, a collection
of sound recordings representative of America's cultural, artistic and
historic treasures.

The registry contains commercial recordings of every music
genre, as well as radio broadcasts, documentary and news recordings.

Among the latest additions to the Registry are: Chubby
Checker's "The Twist"; Simon & Garfunkel's album "Sounds of
Silence," recorded after a producer re-mixed a failed acoustic version of
"The Sound of Silence" with electric guitar and drums to create a
hit; "Cheap Thrills," Janis Joplin's second album with Big Brother
and the Holding Company; and Pink Floyd's landmark 1973 album "The Dark
Side of the Moon."

Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act
of 2000, the Librarian of Congress -- with advice from the National Recording
Preservation Board -- selects 25 recordings annually that are "culturally,
historically, or aesthetically significant" and are at least 10 years old.

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the registry, which
now contains 375 recordings, including the earliest recorded sounds dating back
to 1853.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Non-Com N/T WAMU moved 9.2-9.4 in the latest PPM Ratings for
our nation’s capital. Meanwhile Hubbard’s
WTOP also was up 8.3-8.9. Plus WTOP is
#1 25-54 Total Week and during Drive Times. CBS Radio’s WNEW made some headway
moving 1.3-1.5.

Pew Research concludes fewer stations aired an HD Radio
signal in 2012, compared to 2011. (See original posting, Click Here)

In the audio component of the Pew Research Center State of
the Media 2013 media consumption survey, researchers believe fewer stations,
2,048, were transmitting an HD Radio signal in 2012 compared to 2,103 the year
before, citing BIA data and Pew’s own analysis. The researchers don’t detail
whether those are main or multicast signals, nor why the number dropped.

But, iBiquity Digital says the Pew numbers aren’t accurate.
“We believe we know the source of the data error and are working with BIA and
Pew to try and correct” that, company President/CEO Bob Struble tells RadioWorld.

Bob Struble

IBiquity says on Dec. 31, 2011, 2,034 stations were on-air
transmitting an HD Radio signal. That number increased to 2,048 in 2012.
Struble says there’s actually been a net gain in stations broadcasting in HD
since 2002; that’s when the first facilities in the initial seed markets went
on the air.

Struble also points to growth in multicast channels, and
stations increasing their commitment, implementing advanced data features like
Artist Experience. Four hundred HD Radio stations have upgraded their HD to
include AE, the ability to sync the audio with images like album art. As of
today, there are 1,146 HD2 channels, 277 HD3 channels and 25 HD4 channels, for
a total of 1,446, according to iBiquity.

“HD failed to both
entice AM/FM listeners to pay up,” presumably for a new radio … “and to draw
those willing to pay away from satellite,” concludes Pew, though the report
concerns the number of stations transmitting a digital signal rather than
listening data. Pew is comparing that to SiriusXM, which ended 2012 with 23.9
million subscribers.

In 2012, manufacturers of HD Radio receivers sold a total of
3.9 million; that compares with 2.2 million in 2011 and 1.8 million in 2010.
“That’s 50% annual growth rate, and we forecast similar growth for this and the
next several years,” according to Struble, who points to a total of 12 million
HD Radio receivers sold to-date.

Pandora Media Inc., grappling with rising music costs,
expects the royalties it pays to artists and record labels to decline to 40
percent of revenue from about 60 percent now, Chief Financial Officer Mike
Herring said.

According to Bloomberg, the company, the biggest Internet radio provider, expects to
reach that target over the next few years, Herring said today at an investor
conference sponsored by Roth Capital Partners in Dana Point, California.

The company is tackling royalty rates and seeking to boost
the revenue it gets from advertising. With targeted ads and interactive
features, Pandora is able to levy a premium over radio spots, Herring said. The
company is working to close the gap between its ad revenue, now at about 1
percent of the radio industry’s total, and its 8.5 percent listener share, he
said.

An Enid, OK radio station’s license was rescinded Monday by
the Federal Communications Commission after the station failed to follow
guidelines and file proper reports, according to a story at enidnews.com..

KEIF-LP, or 104.7 The Rocket, lost the grant for renewal of
its license following fines in 2010, for selling advertisements and
broadcasting from an antenna nearly two times the legal height. Its license has
been declared expired and its call letters deleted from FCC databases.

KEIF-LP, a low-power FM station licensed to Enid Public
Radio Association, was allowed to broadcast nonprofit educational programming
from an antenna height of 33 meters.

The FCC issued sanctions and fines of $10,000 for the
violations, which were dated and sent via certified mail July 13, 2010,
according to the FCC letter. A copy of the renewal order was received by The
Rocket and signed for July 23, 2010.

According to a 2010 FCC report, KEIF was distributing
advertising rate cards to local businesses and broadcasting promotional
advertisements on its station. The rate card stated The Rocket’s “classic rock”
format offers “great result for your advertising dollar.”

KEIF 60 dBU Coverage Area

The report also alleged the station broadcast from an
antenna height of nearly 62 meters.

Chisholm Trail Broadcasting, which owns several stations in
northwest Oklahoma, blew the whistle on The Rocket in May 2005.

“Specifically, we find sufficient evidence of violations of
the Commission’s enhanced underwriting and technical rules that, when
considered together, evidence a pattern of abuse,” the 2010 report stated.

In the letter dated Monday, FCC said KEIF filed a license
application renewal Feb. 27, and the application was to have been filed no
later than June 1, 2011.

FCC stated the license for the station will be listed as
expired as of 12:01 a.m. June 1, 2011, and the station’s call sign will be
deleted from databases.

Howard Stern has always been vocal about his dislike of “The
Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, and now the self-proclaimed “King of All Media” is
going after Leno’s high-profile gig.

On this morning's radio show, Stern and his sidekick Robin
Quivers were discussing the Matt Lauer/Ann Curry controversy that stemmed from
her "Today" show exit. According to newyork.newsday.com, during the
chat, Stern said that he spoke to Lauer about guesting on “The Tonight Show”
once he took over for Leno.

Yep, Stern said that’s he’s taking over the late-night
institution, and what’s more, that NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt
told him, “You’ve got to take over the show.”

WMVP-AM/ESPN 1000 is getting ready to make some major
changes to its on-air line-up next month.

According to Chicago Radio & Media, starting April 1st,
"The Waddle & Silvy Show" will move to afternoons, "The
Carmen & Jurko Show" will move to middays, the ESPN-syndicated show
"The Herd with Colin Cowherd" will be added, and Scott Van Pelt/Ryen
Russillo syndicated show goes away.

Starting one week from Monday, the new ESPN 1000 weekday
line-up will look like this:

5:00am-9:00am - "Mike and Mike in the Morning"
(live, syndicated)

9:00am-10:00am - "The Herd with Colin Cowherd"
(live, syndicated)

10:00am-2:00pm - "The Carmen & Jurko Show"
(live & local)

2:00pm-6:00pm - "The Waddle & Silvy Show"
(live & local)

John Cravens, WMVP-AM General Manager said in a statement:
"'Mike and Mike in the Morning' continue to kick off the day for ESPN
Chicago, and the full-day lineup includes a supporting cast that is unparalleled.
As we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we continue to offer the best of national
and local sports talk to our fans."

Colin Herd

No new or additional local programming has been added.
"The SVP & Russillo Show," the syndicated ESPN midday show, one
hour of which aired locally from 1:00pm-2:00pm will be gone. In its place will
be the first hour of the normally three-hour syndicated show with Colin
Cowherd.

CR&M notes the addition of Cowherd's show is sure to be
a controversial one. Cowherd has shown a tendency in the past to be overly
negative toward any Chicago sports team or player. That is sure to not sit well
with the Chicago sports fans listening in. He also tends to overly favor a
small handful of other teams/players, talking about them more than any other
sports topic. Cowherd's radio comments have caused a great deal of anger over
the years, saying things that were not true, statements made more to shock than
inform, and using content from other sources without giving credit.

NBC Sports Radio has announced that weekend talker Newy
Scruggs will expand his duties with a new show premiering on Monday, April 1,
the day the network rolls out 24/7 programming. "Voices of the Game with
Newy Scruggs" will air during the noon-3 p.m. ET Monday-Friday slot.

Newy will be joined each day by a major renowned and
recognizable sports "voice" during the entire second hour of the
show. Personalities will include Chipper Jones, Stan Van Gundy, Bobby Valentine
and Chris Mannix.

"Voices of the Game with Newy Scruggs" brings a
proven top-market radio host together each day with an added expert voice and
perspective. Tuesdays' guest host will be recently retired Atlanta Braves
third baseman Chipper Jones; Wednesdays' guest host will be Sports Illustrated
and NBC Sports Radio's Chris Mannix; Thursdays' guest host will be former MLB
manager and ESPN MLB analyst Bobby Valentine; and Fridays' guest host will be
former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy. Newy's Monday guest host will be announced
soon.

Jones will begin baseball season in this hourly role on
Tuesdays and then move into a weekly major contributor role as NBC Sports
Radio's senior MLB analyst once baseball season is fully under way. Mannix,
Valentine and Van Gundy are already part of the NBC Sports Radio roster and are
expanding their roles.

All four "voices" are known for their candor,
humor and insight, adding a refreshing take on sports talk. Newy will broadcast
from a studio in Dallas, and the "voices" will be situated in studios
around the country, sitting in live as co-host for the entire second hour.

Newy is the sports director and weeknight sports anchor at
KXAS-TV (NBC 5) in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and former host of "The Newy
Scruggs Radio Show" on 105.3 The Fan, in Dallas. He is a multiple Emmy
Award-winning sportscaster and a 20-year TV, radio and print veteran with major
market stops in Austin, Texas, Cleveland and Los Angeles.

"I am excited to
bring NBC Sports Radio listeners into daily conversations with some of the most
honest, opinionated, and in-the-know people in American sports," he said.
"I want our listeners to feel like they are sitting at their favorite
watering hole getting the inside scoop on the biggest topics and sports
opinions of the day."

NBC Sports Radio will launch its full 24/7 talk programming
on April 1.